Kensington pub celebrates ‘Rocky’ Oscars win | This week in Philly history
Back in Philadelphia, crowds celebrated at a Kensington bar.
Actor Jack Nicholson sauntered onto the Los Angeles stage wrapped in a black tuxedo on March 28, 1977, and stood before an auditorium of Hollywood’s brightest stars to present the final award of the evening: best picture.
He listed off the five nominees: All the President’s Men, Bound for Glory, Network, Rocky, and Taxi Driver. And then he opened the envelope at the 49th Academy Awards, and leaned into the microphone. “And the winner is …”
Nearly 3,000 miles away, a 50-and-older crowd who stayed two hours past closing at McCarty’s Tavern in Kensington cheered at the color TV hung high above the 80-foot mahogany bar and its assortment of whiskey bottles.
Most of the revelers inside the punchy pub, then tucked under the Somerset El stop, had never seen the movie. But it didn’t matter.
The iconic underdog story that was based in Philadelphia and filmed heavily in Kensington earned Hollywood’s top trophy, and it made the people from the neighborhood feel like winners.
“Made it. Made it. Made it,” said 69-year-old Marie O’Leary, before ordering another “quickie” drink, according to the Daily News. “Well he’s made it and he’s adopted in this neighborhood.”
Sylvester Stallone, all of 30 years old, helped accept the honor.
“To all the Rockys in the world,” he said, “I love you.”
The film received a total of 10 nominations, winning three. John Avildsen won for best director, and the movie also won for best editing.
The rags-to-riches boxing saga paralleled the real-life rise of Stallone, who wrote the script and refused to sell it unless he could play the title role. He was also nominated for best actor and best original screenplay.
A low moment of the evening for Philadelphians was Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now” not getting the win for best original song.
The high point of the nearly three-hour event was the surprise appearance of boxing great Muhammad Ali, who snuck up behind Stallone and interrupted the actor’s presentation of the award for best supporting actress.
“Can’t you see I’m working?” cried Stallone.
“I’m the real Apollo Creed,” Ali joked. “You stole my script!”
But back at McCarty’s, which was recreated as a movie set that appeared in a scene, owner June McCarty passed around a signed black-and-white photo of Stallone. He had written in the lower right corner: “Drink hardy at McCarty’s.”
As the ceremony came to a close, most of the patrons agreed they would go see the movie when it hit the neighborhood theater, and catch a glimpse of their adopted son on the big screen.
McCarty reached up and switched off the small-screened set. “It was well worth waiting for,” she said.